New Beginnings
by Midnight-Skye
Summary: Original character fic. Jess has a twin brother who comes to town, just around the same time as a mysterious stranger. The addition of Tristan's arrival and the stranger's connections to the townspeople of Stars Hollow make things VERY complicated.
1. The Arrival

Summer ~ After season 2 ends but before season 3. Rory has kissed Jess but has not spoken to him about it yet. She hasn't gone to Washington because a sudden change in a decision by the education board resulted in the school being allowed to send one representative to Washington. And guess who that is. Yup, President Paris. So Paris is off acting all Bill Clinton and stuff, while Rory is staying in Stars Hollow. No Shane but Tristan has come back from military school.  
  
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The breeze ruffled her dark hair as she trudged sleepily towards the diner with the hardware store sign. She sighed as she tiredly put one foot in front of the other . . . an oh-so bothersome task. She had gotten little sleep last night due to the fact that she was a) sleeping on a bench in some town in the middle of nowhere and b) dreams kept haunting her. Dreams of him. She shuddered as she pushed open the door to the diner. She was going to put all of that behind her...forever.  
  
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The girl walked into the diner and plopped down at the nearest table before promptly burying her head in her arms. Jess felt drawn to her for some reason...she looked familiar. The long, flowing hair dark as night, the familiar position and . . . there was just something about her. Something about her presence. Perhaps you could call it her aura. He mentally laughed at himself for using such a word. It would be sure to break the town headlines. He could see it now: TOWN HOODLUM, HIPPY IN DISGUISE, USES WORD 'AURA'.  
  
Shaking himself from his reverie, he walked towards the girl to take her order. Despite his usual reluctance in participating in actual work at the diner, he found himself wanting to get closer to this stranger.  
  
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"Why aren't we bright and chirpy this fine morning?" a voice said, just above her head.  
  
Without even bothering to lift her head, she grumbled, "It's too damn early to be bright and chirpy."  
  
"Ah, that's the spirit. Great way to start the day."  
  
"Just leave me alone, ok?"  
  
"Excuse me, miss, last time I checked you were in a diner. You know, a place where one orders food in order to eat it either in the vicinity or elsewhere. So, unfortunately, you will have to order something in order to stay here. But hey, after that, you're on our own."  
  
The girl finally summoned enough energy to lift her head, and found herself gazing into a pair of familiar eyes. "J-Jess?"  
  
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Author's note: Hey ppl. Sorry it's short but I just had to get this idea down. I know, I know. I gotta develop it more and add more detail but just wait for the later chaps ok? Everything will be in more detail, then, ok? And I probably won't be in a rush then, either. Please read and review. Comments = Happy author. 


	2. Revelations

By the way, for future reference, the use of illustrates a character's thoughts. Hope that the formatting of this is ok. Happy reading!  
  
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Her dark brown eyes widened in surprise as she struggled to make sense of the surprising revelation. Likewise, Jess was reeling from the shock of it all but a smile was slowly spreading its way across his face.  
  
"Jacee!"  
  
With a wide grin now plastered on his face, a rare sight for the continually sullen teen, Jess reached over and hugged his friend. The girl was stunned and couldn't speak for a moment, memories flooding her mind. Finally, she returned his embrace and broke out into a smile of her own.  
  
"Jess, it's been too long."  
  
"Yes, it has. Poor lil' old me gets stuck here, in the middle of nowhere might I add, without even my best friend to entertain me."  
  
She laughed as they began their traditional banter. "Your best friend. And who would that be exactly? Have I met her before?"  
  
"You know full well who I am talking about, Jacelyn Heung."  
  
"Ooohhh . . . you're calling me by my full name. I'm sooo scared," she retorted while rolling her eyes.  
  
"You better be, because according to the townspeople of this very pleasant town, I am a teenager with incredibly sadistic tendencies. Not to mention criminal tendencies, as well."  
  
"Hey, Mariano! You forget that I'm from the city, just like you. Don't think that I don't meet people who would genuinely qualify as mental patients while making Hannibal Lecter look like a sweet child. I think you pale in comparison with them."  
  
"Ok, ok. Point taken."  
  
"Besides, I'm not sure that I would be considered your best friend."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"  
  
She nodded in mock-seriousness. "Of course. There's your brother, a criminal not unlike yourself . . ."  
  
"Ah, fair maiden, you wound me. Truly you do. My feelings as well as my heart have been permanently scarred," interrupted a sarcastic voice from behind her.  
  
Though it seemed impossible, Jess' smile widened even further. Upon seeing this, his companion turned around. A pair of dark blue eyes immediately met her gaze, the owner of which merely smirked at her.  
  
"Jacee."  
  
"Chris," she whispered.  
  
She stood up and walked over to him, giving him a tentative hug.  
  
"Haven't seen you for a while."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Jacee pulled away from him and pushed a few strands of hair from her face. The whole encounter was somewhat unsettling. She was glad to see her old friends, of course she was. But considering her current situation . . .  
  
A voice gently pulled her away from her worries.  
  
"Jacee, what happened?"  
  
Jacee looked up to find Jess looking at her, all traces of merriment gone from his face, while gesturing towards her thigh.  
  
Crap. How am I going to explain this?!  
  
In her haste to greet Chris, Jacee had forgotten that she was wearing shorts. It was after all, summer. While this would normally be an insignificant detail, it suddenly became very important as it revealed a fairly large purple bruise. And Jacee didn't exactly feel like going into the details on how she got it.  
  
"Well, you see . . . the other day . . . I was rushing around at home and I banged into . . . a coffee table. So, yeah."  
  
"Jacee . . . please just tell us what's going on," Chris pleaded.  
  
Jess gently steered Jacee towards the table, so that they could sit down.  
  
"Well, it's kind of part of the reason why I'm here. It started just after you (tilts her head towards Jess) left. I couldn't handle living with my parents anymore so I moved out a few months ago. And well, I got involved with this guy . . ."  
  
"Who?" Jess asked sharply.  
  
Jacee avoided his gaze. "Chris, you've met him. He's the guy who I brought when we met up at the café. Remember, Nina was there?"  
  
Chris nodded in confirmation, and Jacee continued.  
  
"Well, it turns out that he . . . was being too possessive. Yup, possessive. So, I left."  
  
Chris glanced at her suspiciously while reaching up to run his hand through his hair. Noticing his hand, Jacee instinctively winced. This did not go unnoticed by the two brothers.  
  
Reaching across the table, Jess held her hand. "Jacee, please don't lie to me. Please." Jacee just nodded.  
  
"Did he hit you?"  
  
She swallowed before attempting to answer. Discovering that she was at a loss for words, she finally settled on nodding. Chris, meanwhile, looked away with a trace of guilt in his eyes. There was a certain anger in Jess' eyes but he continued to gently question his friend.  
  
"Very often? Or was this the first time?"  
  
"Very often," she whispered.  
  
Jess took a deep breath before continuing.  
  
"So, you ran?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Did you mean to come here?"  
  
"My main aim was to get as far away from him as possible. I just drove where I liked, and tried to choose places where my parents wouldn't go looking for me. It just so happened that the car I rented broke down late last night. And what do you know? I'm just outside this town and of course, there's no way that I'm going to stay in a rental car by the side of the road. So, here I am."  
  
The brothers both nodded.  
  
"Got any stuff?" Chris asked.  
  
"It's in the car."  
  
Jess posed the final but most important question.  
  
"So, what are you going to do now?"  
  
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Author's note: Hey everyone. Thanks for the reviews. I was quite surprised that I got so many, just for that short measly chapter. It was really encouraging.  
  
Dreamer4ever-77 :  
  
Thank you so much. Frankly, I'm both a Lit and a Trory fan. But, more of a Lit. And unfortunately, I don't know how Rory's lovelife is going to factor into this. It's going to be more focused on the mysterious stranger who you now know is called Jacee. And I hope you guys will eventually get to like her enough to ignore the fact that the story won't revolve that much on Rory and Lorelai. This is pretty much going to be about Jacee's arrival, her relationships with everyone and how her arrival affects their lives. I agree that Dean is an ass but Rory and Jess will only be cousins if Luke and Lorelai get married. But then again, they would be step-cousins, not really cousins. And Tristan is going to appear (don't worry), but I'm not sure if it's really in his character to like the things Rory does. For example, reading. But would you be happy if Rory didn't end up with either one? Or would you come and hunt me down?  
  
klm111a :  
  
Thanks. Hope you keep reading.  
  
Tiz-nd-Az :  
  
Hope this chap met your standards. :)  
  
otownroxx:  
  
Hey. Thanks for helping out. Thanks very much. Sorry to disappoint but as I said earlier, I really am not sure. Perhaps Rory will end up with someone different? I seriously hope you guys will eventually come to like Jacee. Cos this story revolves around her so. Btw, sorry about the paragraphing. I'm a new author so I'm not sure how to control the formatting. Everything was fine in Word. But then when I put it up on ff.net and then, everything got screwed up. If you have any advice about this, please tell me. Hope this chap is easier to read. And I hope you like this longer chap. Oh, and I never said that I only wanted signed reviews. I don't mind anonymous ones. Not at all. Don't worry about it. I appreciate the help.  
  
Thanks again for the reviews everyone. Please keep reading and commenting. 


	3. Taking Care Of Her

_Sorry guys for not writing in so long.  What can I say?  Homework and a lack of inspiration.  Maybe you guys can help me out there. _

_By the way, Jess and Luke (and now Chris)'s apartment is going to be much larger than the one in the series. Otherwise, how are they all going to fit up there?  So, it's going to be about the size of the apartment that Luke was going to rent in the 2nd season, but found out that it was owned by Taylor.  It has 2 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms (1 for Luke, 1 for Jess, 1 for Chris and 1 guest bedroom). _

_Anyway, hope you like this chap.  Just to let you know, there's some swearing here.  Not anything that your average 13 year old hasn't heard, but quite a bit of intense swearing.  So if you don't like cursing etc., then please don't read the following._

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The question echoed over and over in her head, giving her an immense headache.  While massaging her head, Jacee sighed.

"I honestly have no idea."

Jess' gaze softened as he gazed at his best friend.

"Hey.  You look kind of tired.  Why don't you go upstairs and rest?"

Jacee merely nodded.

"And I'll get your stuff," offered Chris quietly.

"Blue Lincoln, has a huge bumper sticker of a deer…don't even ask.  Everything's in a blue duffel bag.  It's pretty light; I don't have much in there."

"Ok," Chris said before getting up and hugging her.  

"Thanks Chris," Jacee whispered in his ear.

"No problem," he whispered back.

"Jace, I'll bring you upstairs, ok?" said Jess, reverting back to his special nickname for Jacee. It was nice to finally say it again.  It had been quite a while since he called her that.  But then again, it had been a long time since they had talked, or even written to each other but it wasn't for his lack of trying.  He would have to ask her about that.  

Both Jacee and Jess stood up and Jess led the way upstairs to the apartment.  Just before he reached the stairs, though, he shot a look at his brother telling him not to leave yet.  

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The pair finally reached the apartment and Jess tried to figure out where Jacee could sleep.  He finally decided on the guest bedroom, and began to pray that it had clean sheets.  He opened the door and was pleasantly surprised.  The room was clean, airy and had perfectly clean sheets.  

Jacee crawled into bed, wearily, and Jess tucked her in gently.  He smiled. She was like a child, in a way.  She always looked so innocent while she slept, for that was when she let all her barriers crumble; that was when she was completely vulnerable.  He shook his head slightly.  They were so similar that it surprised him sometimes.  

"Good night, Jess," Jacee whispered, breaking into his thoughts.

Jess kissed her on the forehead and said "Good night, Jace.  Sleep tight.  Yell if you need anything.  I'm just downstairs."

"Ok," she whispered, already half-asleep.

Jess took a final look at her and then left the room, making sure to close the door gently. 

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When he got back down to the diner, he found it empty with his brother sitting by the counter, looking worried.

"Where's everyone?" Jess asked, walking over to his brother.

"They left," Chris replied.

"Huh."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"I don't know.  Speaking of which…" Jess looked meaningfully at his brother.

Chris looked away, and got up from his seat.  He began to pace around, all the while avoiding eye contact with his brother.

"Chris?"

"Yeah?"

Jess had finally had enough.  He stood directly in front of Chris to prevent him from pacing anymore.

"Stop avoiding this!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Jacee.  God, you **know **I had to leave New York.  I didn't have a choice.  So, I left you to take care of her.  And look what happens?  She gets beaten up by an abusive boyfriend?  HOW IS THAT TAKING CARE OF HER?"

"Jess, look I had my own problems ok?  I tried to take care of Jacee –"

"Well, you obviously didn't try hard enough."

"I really tried, ok?  I even met her boyfriend and to tell you the truth, I didn't like him.  I tried to talk to her about it, but I just couldn't find her.  And you know Jacee.  When she doesn't want to be found, she'll disappear."

"Oh, so now it's her fault? YOU'RE  BLAMING MY BEST FRIEND NOW?!"

"JESS, FUCKING HELL.  LOOK, I TRIED OK?  BUT I HAD MY OWN PROBLEMS.  MY WHOLE LIFE ISN'T JUST ABOUT HER!"

"AND LOOK HOW THINGS TURNED OUT!"

"WHAT?  YOU WANT ME TO DEVOTE MY WHOLE LIFE TO HER?  SHE'S NOT MY BEST FRIEND, JESS.  SHE'S YOURS."

"SO?  ISN'T SHE YOUR FRIEND TOO?"

"SHE IS.  GOD DAMN IT, JESS.  I'M JUST SAYING THAT YOU CAN'T EXPECT ME TO SPEND ALL MY TIME LOOKING OUT FOR HER."

"AND WHY NOT?"

" 'CAUSE I'M GOING THROUGH MY OWN STUFF."

"I WAS GOING THROUGH MY OWN STUFF, AND I STILL MANAGED TO LOOK AFTER HER."

Chris laughed bitterly. "Oh yeah, sure.  Do you even remember why you even got sent here, Jess?  Hm…let me see.  Oh yeah, it was because you got caught drinking and doing drugs.  Were you looking out for her then?"

Jess looked away.

"And you're her best friend, aren't you Jess?  Then why did you leave?  Why weren't you there when she needed you?  No, you just "dump" her on me, as if you didn't care about her at all.  Perhaps you should take a look at how you've treated her before you start on me," Chris snarled before storming out the door.

Jess merely stood there, staring out the door at the retreating back of his brother.

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Author's note: Hey guys.  Hope you haven't forgotten me.  Please review this chap if you have the time, cos it would really help me out.  And if you guys have any ideas about the plot, feel free to share.

dodgerluv: Hey there.  You seem majorly happy.  Thanks for the idea, but I think that things are going to be a bit different than what you suggested.  Thanks, though.  I think that the idea that I have in mind, will probably lead to longer storylines.  Btw, Jess and Rory will probably get together during my fic, but I'm not sure for how long or if they'll end up together in the end.  I'm majorly undecided but I hope you keep reading, either way.  Thanks for the support.

Trying out a different layout here, so hope this works out.  Please give me your thoughts and opinions on this chap as well as the previous ones.  Thanks everyone.


	4. Moving Out!

*A few hours later*

Jacee rubbed her eyes sleepily as she slowly walked downstairs to the diner.  She figured that she had imposed on Jess enough.  As soon as she walked into the diner, she realized that it was empty.  

That's strange. 

She soon found Jess reading Hemmingway, while leaning against the counter.  She almost laughed when she caught sight of him.  He was so predictable, at times.  Jess frowned for a second, before he felt her presence behind him.  He turned around with a smile, playing on his lips.

"Have a good sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah.  Thanks," she replied, almost shyly.  

He gently steered her towards a seat and sat down with her.  

"Now, tell me the whole story," he said.

Jacee took a deep breath and began telling him the truth.  

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Luke Danes had been in Hartford for most of the morning, settling some deals with a new supplier.  He was grumpy, tired and frankly, overworked, no thanks to his lovely nephew.  What's more, his sister had sent over his other nephew, Jess' twin, for him to straighten out.

"Just great.  I have yet another "Jess" to take care of.  I can barely handle the first one, what makes her think I can handle this one?  Jam hands…it all begins with them and their stupid jam hands…." he began to mutter incoherently. 

So, you could say, that he was less than pleased when he finally arrived back in Stars Hollow and found that there was a "CLOSED" sign hanging on the diner door.  He began to say a few choice words before deciding that he and Jess needed to have a little talk.  Oh, and that Chris would have to listen to the new rules as well.

"JESS!" he yelled, as he stepped into the diner.

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Jess' head was reeling as he tried to digest all of the information.  He was mentally kicking himself for not being there for Jacee.  God, she had been through a lot.  Man, if he found that stupid asshole that she was her boyfriend, he wouldn't stand a chance at living.  While he was feeling all of this self-hatred, his uncle stormed in screaming his name….so let's just say that he was feeling less than civil.  

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Luke found himself staring down at Jess' angry brown eyes, the minute he walked into the diner.  He took a deep breath to compose himself before he spoke.

"Jess. I thought we talked about this.  I was going out and I needed you to help me run the diner.  NOT CLOSE IT."

"Stuff came up," came Jess' vague reply.

"Damn it, Jess. What sort of stuff?  Why can't I just depend on you for once?  Oh yeah, I forgot, it's because you're you."

"Jess," a soft voice interjected.

Luke glanced at the owner and saw that it was a petite Asian girl.  She looked about Jess' age but she didn't seem to be from around here.  

"Jess, did you close down the diner?" she asked.

Jess looked down.  "No.  Chris did.  They were making too much noise."

"Jess.  It would have been fine," she stated stubbornly.

"Jace, you were sleeping.  It wouldn't have been fine if they woke you up."

Luke didn't seem to be getting the whole story but he could guess.

"JESS?!  I LEAVE YOU HERE FOR ONE MORNING AND NOW YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH SOME GIRL WHILE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING?!  AND YOU CLOSE THE DINER JUST TO LET HER SLEEP IN?!"

The girl paled and elbowed Jess sharply, who had begun to open his mouth.

"Sir, I'm afraid this has been a big misunderstanding.  You see…Jess is my best friend and he was working along with Chris. Um…however, when I came in this morning…" she said, as she frantically tried to explain the situation.

"Uncle Luke, I was not  and am not sleeping with her.  She just arrived in town and she looked as if she really needed the sleep, so I gave her a place to crash.  And some stuff was happening, and we didn't want it spreading around town…so Chris and I closed the diner," Jess explained for her, seeing how she was panicking.

"What stuff was happening?" Luke asked suspiciously.

Jess glanced quickly at Jacee, who had looked down at the floor.  Determination flooded his features.

"I don't think that's any of your concern, Uncle Luke," he replied shortly.

"I think it's my concern when my two nephews decide to randomly close down my diner, which in case you didn't know, is my source of income!"

Once again, Jacee interjected.

"Sir, I'm really sorry.  I was having some personal problems and…"

Luke didn't know why but his anger dissolved a bit when he looked at her.  She just seemed so frail and sad, and it was kind of nice to see Jess protecting someone instead of hurting them.

"Look, Uncle Luke, she's going through some shit right now.  And she's going to stay with us, ok?  Or Chris and I are moving out."

Both Jacee and Luke were shocked at Jess' ultimatum.  Jacee elbowed Jess once again, and kicked him as well…just for good measure.

"I'm sorry, sir.  I think he was dropped on his head too many times when he was a baby and this is a result of one of those times…"

"Tell me about it," murmured Luke.

The girl smiled a bit. "Really, it's ok.  I won't be here for long anyway.  I'll be able to find a place to stay.  Don't worry about it," she said, glaring at Jess.

Luke almost laughed.  The pair were quite cute.  

"No, Jace.  I'm not letting you run off again. You can't keep doing this.  Stay here.  It's safe," Jess said to her.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Safe?"

"I agree with him," a voice came from the doorway, and Chris breezed in.

"Chris, you're the mature one.  Please convince your psychotic brother over here that my moving in is not a good idea."

Chris smirked before shaking his head.  "Sorry, Jacee.  Can't do that cos I agree with him."

Luke was incredulous.  "Excuse me?  You two are telling me that if I don't let her stay with us, you're going to move out?"

The twins nodded, while Jacee frantically shook her head.

"It's really ok.  Honestly….Jess, this is Stars Hollow, right?" she asked.

"Yup. Why?"

"Well, I've just thought of something.  Do you guys know of a Luke Danes?  I need to find him."

Luke and the twins were quiet.  

"What do you need to find him for?" Luke asked.

"Well, he used to stay with my family when we were living in Hong Kong.  So, maybe I could stay with him."

"Jacee Heung?" Luke asked hesitantly.

Jacee turned to look at Luke.  "Oh my god.  Uncle Luke, is that you?!" 

She smiled and gave him a big hug.  "Man, I've missed you."

Luke laughed.  "And I've missed you."

"I can't believe it's you!"

"Neither can I."

"Well, now it's settled then.  You're staying with us," said Chris.

Luke observed the Asian girl standing before him.  Her long dark hair was somewhat dishevelled and she looked a bit on the thin side.  He noticed a dark bruise on her thigh but decided not press matters too much. She would tell him when she was ready.  

"It's ok by me," he declared.

"Thanks, Uncle Luke," she squealed before hugging him again.

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Lorelai and Rory were just passing by Luke's.  Lorelai was avoiding it because she still hadn't gotten over her fight with Luke, and Rory was avoiding it because of…well, Jess.  However, they both noticed something strange.  The blinds were down and the sign on the door said "CLOSED".

"Rory, how strange is it that Luke's is closed?" Lorelai asked.

"Very strange, indeed.  Perhaps we ought to call Ms. Marple.  Or Hercule Poirot?  He's always free."

"Rory…."

"Ok, ok.  Yeah, it's quite strange.  I wonder what happened."

"So do I…so do I."

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	5. A Confusing Situation

_Hey guys.  I know it's been a long time but I hope you enjoy this._

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*The next day*

The next day began, and Lorelai honestly couldn't take it anymore.  She absolutely **needed** Luke's coffee.  And though she hated to admit it, she had missed his company as well.  So she dragged Rory out of bed, with the promise of coffee and rushed off to Luke's.  

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Luke's was absolutely brimming with people.  For some unknown reason, it seemed that the entire population of Stars Hollow had decided to congregate at Luke's that morning.  Jacee, Jess and Chris had been having breakfast when they heard the commotion down below.  They had rushed down only to see a giant stream of people coming in.  When Jacee had seen the crowd and how overwhelmed Luke, Jess. Chris and Caesar were, she quickly grabbed an apron and despite their protests, began helping out in the diner.  Of course, this being Stars Hollow, the presence of an outsider only served to feed the rumor mill.  Wild rumors flew across from person to person, each speculating about the mysterious stranger and her relationship with Luke, Jess and Chris were.  Some claimed that she was Luke's long-lost daughter, others thought it was another relative of his…perhaps a niece?  And others thought that she was Jess' girlfriend, staying over from New York.  Yet, they all conceded that she seemed too nice to be hanging around the town hoodlum which led to speculation over whether she was his **brother's girlfriend.  But still, all of this was pure imagination and no one really had any real answers.**

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Lorelai came bounding into the diner with Rory reluctantly following on her heels.  

"LUCAS!!!" she bellowed.

"Oh, he's in the back, sugar.  Why don't you take a seat first?" Babette interrupted.

Lorelai thought for a second and smiled.  "Sure, why not?  Thanks Babette."

"No problem, sugar."

As soon as Lorelai and Rory had found a table, Jacee came up to them, ready to take their order.  

"How may I help you this morning?" she asked smiling.

"Now this is what I call service with a smile.  Unlike that little hoodlum of yours," Lorelai commented to Rory.

Rory just rolled her eyes.  Taking a closer look at the girl, she asked "Hey, I don't think I've seen you around.  Are you new here?"

"Yup," she replied.

"Well, I'm Rory and the depraved woman sitting opposite me is my mother, Lorelai.  You'll have to forgive her.  She's suffering from severe coffee withdrawal symptoms," Rory said, gesturing to her mother who was making weird faces at her.  

Jacee laughed.  "Well, it's nice to meet you both.  I'm Jacee."

"So, when did you get in?" Lorelai asked, finally stopping her weird facial antics.

"Well, I just got in—" she stopped suddenly, squealing, as arms lifted her off the ground and swung her around.

Lorelai and Rory both just stared, shocked at Jacee's "aggressor".  It looked like Jess, seemed like Jess, but it wasn't Jess.  The only difference was his startling blue eyes, and the laughing expression that appeared on his face.  Both Lorelai and Rory had never seen Jess look **that** happy.  It was the sort of ecstatic happiness that they had thought that Jess was incapable of.  

"Chris, put me down!" Jacee yelled but with a smile on her face.

"Chris?" Lorelai and Rory echoed, dumbfounded.

Luke poked his head out of the storeroom and seeing the scene, tried to contain the grin that was beginning to make its way across his face.  "CHRIS, PUT HER DOWN RIGHT NOW!" he shouted.

Chris rolled his eyes but complied.  

"Thanks, Uncle Luke," Jacee said, while playfully swatting Chris.

"Now why does **she** get to call you Uncle Luke, but I don't?" Jess asked, emerging from the kitchen, with two plates filled with hamburgers, and a small pout on his face.

Luke took one look at his nephew and raised an eyebrow.  "Because she's her."

"Oh, my poor wounded heart.  Uncle Lukey playing favorites.  And not even with his own relatives.  You've really hurt me, Uncle Luke." Jess said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.

"IT'S LUKE TO YOU, NOT UNCLE LUKE.  NOW GET BACK TO WORK, THE BOTH OF YOU!" Luke screamed, referring to the twins, before heading back into the storeroom while incoherently muttering something about "jam hands".

"Sure thing, Uncle Luke," the twins chorused, as Jess made his way over to where Jacee and Chris had crowded around Lorelai's table.

A scream of frustration was heard coming from the storeroom.

Lorelai and Rory, not to mention most of the diner, had been watching this exchange.  Needless to say, however, they were completely and utterly confused.

"Um…would someone mind telling us what's going on here?" Lorelai asked.

Luke suddenly re-emerged from the storeroom after hearing her voice.  "Well, Lorelai, I'm surprised to find you here at all…considering…" he said, rather gruffly.

"Lukey…" Lorelai began, looking rather sad.  Then she flung her arms around him.  "I'M SORRY!!!!" she wailed.

Jess and Chris both snickered at this, only to receive an elbow in the ribs from Jacee.

"Uh…Lorelai….uh…" Luke stammered.

"Hehe, I knew that was the only way to get you to get your attention.  So, forgive me?"

Luke looked down into her hopeful face and sighed. "Fine."

Lorelai jumped up and down, screaming.  "GREAT!!!  NOW COFFEE, LUCAS!!!"

"This stuff will kill you." Luke said, but did pour both Rory and her mother a cup each.

"So will you please fill us in on the situation?" Lorelai asked Luke.

Luke looked confused for a second, but then realized what she was talking about.  "Oh…the situation. Well, this is Jess-"

"Lukey, I think we know that considering that Jess has been in town for some time now."

"If you would let me finish Lorelai.  This is Jess' twin brother, Chris, and this is their friend Jacee."

"Best friend," Jess corrected Luke.

Luke rolled his eyes and corrected himself "Best friend,"

Lorelai looked mischievously at Jacee and Chris, who were standing rather close to each other and asked "So, are you two going out?'

They both coughed.  "Excuse me?!"

"She said: Are you two going out?" Jess replied, sarcasm in full force but a smirk on his face.  

"Shut up Mariano.  Uh, no Lorelai.  Chris and I are just friends." Jacee said, blushing slightly and stepping away from Chris.

Rory, who had been silent all this time, trying to ignore Jess decided to butt in.  "Well, it's kinda surprising cos he's kinda cute," she mock-whispered to Jacee.

"Don't let him hear that, cos you compliment one twin, you compliment both. And trust me, they have much bigger egos than necessary." Jacee mock-whispered back.

"HEY!" both twins said, in mock outrage.

"It's true." Jacee said simply.  

"Well, since both you and Chris are new in town, why don't you come over to our house tonight for a welcome-to-town dinner?" Lorelai offered.

"And we all know how well that went last time," Luke answered.

"Oh, please Lukey.  It **will go better this time." Lorelai promised.  "Plus, I want to ask Jacee all about Jess and his little secrets."**

Jess had been gazing at Rory, who had effectively managed to avoid meeting his eyes.  However, she now looked up and smiled at him.  "Yeah, dinner would be nice." 

"See Lukey?  The angel child has spoken," Lorelai pleaded.

Luke took a look over at his "gaggle" of teenagers.  This could help things between Rory and Jess, who seemed to be having issues lately.  And of course, him and Lorelai.  And he **did think that Jacee needed to make some friends.  This was a good way to start.  **

"Fine.  But stop calling me Lukey," he said.

"Whatever, you say, Lucas."

"AARRRRRRRGHHHHH!" 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

dodgerluv – Hey.  I know, majorly long time since I updated, huh? Well, you should prob get more insight into Luke's past in future chapters.

pandapearl  – Ok…if you read the chapters carefully, you will realize that Chris is Jess' twin.  And that Luke owns the diner but Jess and Chris are running it for him while he is in Hartford, settling some business with a supplier.  Hope it is clearer now.


End file.
